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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. current — electric
  15. rush — hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. current — of water
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com